May 22, 2013

Oh My Moxie Fab!


This, my friends, is a quilt,

~Cath

It's a Moxie Fab World

I was reminded, once again, what a moxie fab world we live in when I happened across these whimsical, delightful, and thought-provoking Flying House images by photographer Laurent Chehere. Check it:











Of course, I can't help but think of the movie Up--and yet--these take the concept of a flying house to entirely new heights, don't you think?

It really is a moxie fab world,

~Cath

May 21, 2013

Oh My Moxie Fab!


When I Think of You by Raindropmemory,

~Cath

Tuesday Trigger: Feather Weather



It's Tuesday Trigger time! Load up your approaches to this moxie fab Trigger following these fun-tastic deets:
  • Create a paper crafted project that is inspired by this week’s Trigger and post it to your blog by Sunday, June 2. (It's a two-weeker!)
  • Then, click on the title of your blog post, copy the URL at the top, and link it using Mr. Linky below.
  • Please show the Trigger on your blog and link back to the Tuesday Trigger to encourage your readers to play along as well.
  • Please include a statement as to how and why you were inspired as sometimes it isn't easy to tell. :)
  • Projects previously created that fit the exact specifications of this challenge can be linked, provided they were created within four weeks of this posting. You must include an ETA (edited to add) that explains that you are adding it to the Moxie Fab World challenge in order to be eligible.
  • If you don't have a blog, post your project to this flickr group and link it to Mr. Linky as soon as you've grabbed the URL.
Easy peasy and TONS o' fun!

Congrats to this week's Trigger Targets who posted their interpretations to last week's Trigger, Right on Target! I would moxie LOVE it if you could check out their projects and leave them some love on their blogs!





& Poorvi

Targets, please send me an email at cedvalson@papercraftsmag.com requesting the Trigger Target badge:


...and I'll tell you how to get all linked up! If you've already received a badge, feel free to add this one to your list!

Congrats also to this week's random winner:


Joan, send me an email with your address and I'll hook you up with a moxie fab prize from my moxie magical prize drawer as my thanks to you for playing along!

Ready? Set! Let the linking begin!

~Cath

Winnerday!

Ready? Set! Scroll!

The winners of the moxie fab goodness from Maya Road in last week's Moxie Monday are:

Kim M who said...
That is a whole bunch of crafty goodness that's enough to make you swoon! Love it all! Great new pic too, Cath!

and Sandy who said...
I LOVE it all, thinking I like the flowers the best! Maybe because I'm working on more feminine pages at this point. Thanks for the show!

The winners of the comment-to-win in last week's The Wonder of Watercolor Challenge Winners post is:

Petti who said...
Beautiful cards! Well deserved to be moxie fab!

And last but certainly not least, the winners of the Flourishes stamps in last week's Moxie Fab "Stamp" of Approval post are:

frommycraftroom who said...
Lovely stamps. These would be wonderful to win. Thanks for the chance :)

and Joyce who said...
Those stamps are beautiful. Thanks for the chance to win.

Congratumoxilations to these winners and thanks to everyone who left comments last week!

Winners, please send me an email with your addresses to cedvalson@papercraftsmag.com with the prize/post you won in the subject line in order to claim your prizes. I can't WAIT to hear from you!

Have a winner of a day,

~Cath

May 20, 2013

Oh My Moxie Fab!


Nutella-topped jelly donut anyone?

~Cath

Moxie Fabber of the Week: Amy Wanford

Say the name Aimes and I immediately think of the clean and graphic wonder, Amy Wanford. Hailing from England, her fun British spellings and idioms are just part and parcel of one of the most delightful paper crafters you will ever have the chance to emeet. She is witty and sassy and sweet and kind, and you're always in for a treat whenever you are lucky enough to see one of her masterpieces of white space and clean design.

I'm honored that she's taken the time to grace this little ol' blog o' mine today, friends, and know that you are going to enjoy getting to know her (better) as well. So sit back, relax, and let Aimes take it away!

What is your full name? What is your screen name? Do you have a blog or an on-line gallery?

Hey! My full name is Amy Wanford, but you can call me Aimes (most people do!) Aimes is also my screen name. Do I have a blog? Of course! You can check out my creations and ramblings at Crafting Confessions and if you fancy the pics of projects without the ramblings, then check out my Splitcoaststampers Gallery or Flickr Gallery *wink*.

Describe yourself in three short, fun sentences.

I’m a total tea, toast and paper crafting addict living in Sheffield, England. Every day brings a new adventure; educating students with behavioural difficulties and various special needs. My motto in life is: nothing ventured, nothing gained. :)

How long have you been paper crafting? How did you get involved in paper crafting? What is your favorite aspect of paper crafting?

I’ve been crafting with paper since I was a kid. I remember receiving a huge pad of coloured paper when I was around 7 and feeling like all my Christmases had come at once!

I moved into the realm of card making in 2008. A friend owned a scrapbooking shop and I went to visit. The words "kid" and "candy store" spring to mind--ha! I then found stamps, ink, a fabulous online community and the rest, as they say, is history!

My favourite aspect of paper crafting has to be stamping. Without a doubt. I get a warm fuzzy feeling inside when I release an inked stamp from a project to reveal a perfect impression. I tend to get the urge to shout, “Voila!” or “Ta-Dah!” Oh and don’t even get me started on heat embossing. That technique is still magic before my very eyes!

What do you like most about the Moxie Fab World? What is your favorite feature and why?

Well let’s be honest, the Moxie Fab World would be nothing without the moxiest of Moxie Fabbers: Cath! I love Cath’s energy, enthusiasm and the way she can bring this wonderful community of crafty peeps together--be it through challenges, or a thought-provoking picture.

It’s so tough to pick a favourite feature, but I do love Oh My Moxie Fab! Sometimes I wonder if Cath is psychic and knows how I’m feeling or what I’m thinking at the time I feast my eyes upon those wonderful pictures. Five for Friday is also another favourite feature of mine--I’ve added a number of inspirational blogs to my reader through it.

We are all moxie fab in our own way. Name one thing that makes you moxie fab.

This is toughest question you’re going to ask me, right?! Eek! I’m not really into "bigging myself up" it’s not my style! I’d much rather sit in the corner and just get my craft on! But if you insist on an answer, I *guess* the one thing that I can think of is the way my brain ticks…I like to think outside of the box with things and that includes my approach to using items/products on my projects. I get a real kick out of using stationary items for my projects and getting the most out of my crafting supplies in general.

How would you describe your style? Provide 3-4 images of a paper crafted project that illustrates that style best.

For me, clean and simple designs make my heart skip a beat. Creating in a CAS style is my total comfort zone. Space? Yes please! Minimal elements that pack a punch? Right here, please!




I also love to create interactive cards. They give me a bit of brain-ache at times, but the end result is worth it.


Who is your favorite manufacturer and why? What is your favorite all-time collection and why? Have you created a paper crafted project using this collection? If so, feel free to attach it.

I have a few – I hope that’s OK! Firstly, Papertrey Ink. I’ve been a fan of PTI since I started this whole stamps and ink thing!

More recently I’ve been lucky enough to be on the design team for a couple of fabulous stamp companies who have become firm favourites when it comes to my crafting adventures. One company is Uniko Studio. I love Uniko Studio’s graphic designs and coordinating digital papers. Even the most intricately illustrated flowers can appeal to my graphic loving side and the background sets are fabulous, too.


Another manufacturer I love is Clearly Besotted Stamps. The sets are so fun to ink up and needless to say that cards for my nieces and nephews are no longer ones that I slightly fear in creating--*wink*. I always feel like I’m keeping up with a trend when I’m inking up a CBS set. Oh and the dies – the dies make the crafting process even more fun and versatile.


Paper Crafts magazine has produced a great number of special issues over the years. Which has been the most inspiring to you and why? 


Obviously every Paper Crafts issue and special issue is chock-block full of inspiration, but one that remains on my desk for easy reference is the Card Design Handbook. My background is not in design, so this baby is like my bible! I didn’t even realise that I was utilizing some principles of design already! When I want to brave it out of my CAS comfort zone, this issue is the first port-of-call for me!

Attach an image of a paper crafted project that you are the most proud of or that means the most to you. Include a brief statement that explains why.


OK so this card is not one that represent my style at all and that’s exactly why I’m kinda proud of it. This shabby chic style is sooooooo far from my comfort zone, but the creative process of this project taught me so much. It showed me that it pays to step out of that comfort zone at times, and that principles of design that I apply to a CAS design can be adapted to suit other styles too. The total seal of approval on this card was having it picked up for Paper Crafts magazine's Card Design Handbook.

Do you consider yourself to be a trend-watcher? Why or why not? Do you feel that trend-watching is important to your creativity? Why or why not? 

I don’t necessarily go out looking for them, but I’m certainly influenced by them. Fashion is something that certainly gives me an idea of trends, and I find that those trends will emerge in my crafting supplies. Before I know it I’m following them! Maybe not rigidly, but in some form or other I’m following! My problem is that once I’m hooked on to a trend, I find it hard to let it go!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

See what I mean?  Isn't Aimes a ton of fun? Aren't her cards, well, simply moxie fab? I just love her can-do attitude that is underlined with enthusiasm, and when she talks about how she can think outside the box, she's not kidding. One of the things I admire about her the most is that she is able to provide truly original approaches to paper crafting. I also love how willing she is to step outside her comfort zone so that she can grow as a paper crafter. Her shabby chic card is a perfect example of that--and it also happens to be one of my all-time favorite cards!

I'd like to thank Aimes for the kind words she said about me and the Moxie Fab World today, and to thank her for spending as much time here as she does. She is definitely one of the bright lights in my world, and I'm so grateful to know her as well as I do.

Be sure and love Aimes some love before you go, Moxie Fabber style! :)

Moxie Fabbers ROCK!

~Cath

Moxie Monday: Sweet Notes by Allison Kreft from Webster's Pages

It's a fine Moxie Monday today here in the Moxie Fab World, friends, for I've got the sweet stylings of Allison Kreft Designs via Webster's Pages, and you could quite literally drool all over this one. The Sweet Notes collection is about all things sweet--from fun bomb pops to colorful candy hearts to trendy macarons, and much, much more! Check it:


















Mini Bag Set

How's that for satisfying your sweet tooth? And did you see those moxie fab overlays and mini bags? Umm hmm. I thought you did. Delicious indeed.  But if you find yourself wanting more, simply leave me a comment by midnight EDT on Sunday, May 26 and I'll draw two random luckies to win it! And don't forget! You've got to stop by first thing on the morning of Tuesday, May 28 for our weekly Winnerday! post to see if you are one of our lucky winners!

I'm detecting a note of sweetness here,

~Cath

PS Have you heard? Open auditions for Paper Crafts magazine's annual Gallery Idol competition are in full swing! Click HERE to see how to join in on all the fun!


May 19, 2013

Oh My Moxie Fab!


Bountiful blossoms,

~Cath

May 18, 2013

Oh My Moxie Fab!


A passel of pretty poodles,

~Cath